Jinora
by Amira Elizabeth
Summary: Korra now lives on Air Temple Island with Tenzin and his young family.  Part of living there is getting to know the kids.  One afternoon she takes an extra step to get to know Jinora a little better and makes a surprising discovery.  SPOILERS!


Authors Note: I am by no means a writer, but this just came to me after watching Korra and seeing her interact with the kids.

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><p>"Korra! C'mon! Come see my room!"<p>

The young Avatar felt herself being pulled by an excited Ikki and she rolled her eyes. This kid never stopped moving and she seemed to have a never-ending supply of energy. She and her brother Meelo had been showing off Air Temple Island's best spots - which in a kid's world meant the swimming pond, the really high cliff they went gliding off of, and Meelo's bedroom.

Now she was about to see another kid's bedroom. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

The trio passed a closed door and Korra angled her head back towards it as she was pulled down the hallway.

"What's in there?"

"Jinora's room." Meelo shouted as he whizzed past her on his air scooter. "She doesn't like people in it."

"Yeah," Ikki said. "She stays in there when Dad isn't making us train. She usually is reading or something. Mom says she's just going through a phase, whatever that means…"

The girl lowered her head a little, her large grey eyes becoming sad. "…I wish she would play with me more. We used to play all the time. But now she acts like she's too busy or she is better than us just cause she's older."

"Hey! I play with you." Meelo cried out, sounding insulted.

"Yeah, but you pulled all the heads off my dolls."

"We were playing hospital. They needed to be sick so we could fix them."

Ikki rolled her eyes. "You don't get better from losing your head. You're dead, stupid. You can't fix being dead."

Korra once again felt herself being pulled down the hallway and for the next hour she was subjected to being shown every possession Ikki had. The Avatar had to admit that Ikki's excitement and ability to pretend was infectious and soon she was pouring tea for Ikki's dolls like a pro.

"I only had one doll when I was little." She told the astonished kids.

"Really?" Meelo said, eyes wide. "Only one? How could you play with only one?"

"Well, my family is poor. We didn't have much in the South Pole. And when I started training to be the Avatar, there wasn't a whole lot of time to play." Korra smiled, a memory suddenly pushing itself to the front of her mind. "But one year for my birthday, your grandmother Katara gave me a beautiful doll. She had clothes from each of the nations."

The Avatar stood up and stretched. "It's such a nice day out, why don't we go outside and do something. You guys can show me some airbending moves."

"Okay!" Both kids cried out in excitement and raced out the doorway on their air scooters, scattering toys everywhere. "C'mon!"

"I will, but first I want to see if Jinora wants to come outside with us."

"She won't want to. She likes being by herself." Ikki said.

"Well I'm going to try. I'll meet you outside in a few minutes."

Korra knocked on Jinora's door. "Jinora, can I come in?"

Silence.

"Jinora, please let me in."

The Avatar heard movement and then the door opened a crack and Jinora's pretty face appeared.

"Why?" The girl asked.

"Well, I'd love to see your room too and we were going outside to practice airbending. I thought you could show me some moves. I'd love for you to teach me something."

"Really? You want me to show you something? But you're the Avatar."

"Yes, and I am awful at airbending." Korra smiled. "So will you help me?"

Jinora's face lit up with a smile and she opened the door wider, letting Korra into her bedroom. The young waterbender was amazed at what was hidden behind Jinora's closed door. She wasn't expecting the colors and the effort Jinora had put into making her room a great space.

Korra was envious. Her room had never been anything like what she was now seeing.

There were shelves of books, each one lovingly and carefully placed. A good-sized desk was against one wall and was covered with drawings and pieces of paper with Jinora's careful, yet elegant handwriting on it. A wardrobe with air nation symbols was in one corner and the young girl had taken long pieces of filmy colorful fabric and draped them from the ceiling and walls.

"Wow! This is an amazing room."

The little airbender blushed. "You really like it, Korra?"

"Yeah, this is the best room ever. I wish I had had a room like this growing up." A flickering flame caught her attention and Korra noticed what was on the night table next to the bed.

A candle in a small holder, some incense, a small vase with flowers, and a picture of Avatar Aang sat in a frame on the little table. She looked at the girl, whose head was lowered.

"I bet you think it's silly that I have a picture of the grandfather I never met in here."

"No, it's not silly, Jinora. It's a wonderful thing to honor your grandfather."

Jinora sat on her bed and hugged the framed picture to her chest.

"Gran Gran used to tell me stories about him when I was little. About how brave and kind he was." She blushed. "And how handsome. She used to tell me all the fun things he would do with Aunt Kya and Uncle Bumi and how when my daddy was born, Grandfather Aang was so excited because he wasn't the only airbender anymore."

She handed the picture to Korra. "Gran Gran gave it to me. She said this portrait was done when he was about 18 years old for their wedding."

Korra looked down at the picture in her hands. Most of the pictures she had seen of Avatar Aang showed him older, like in his forties. She had been shocked to see the statue in the bay depicting him so young. The face that smiled back at her from the delicate silver frame was really handsome. His smile was easy going, joy and love shone in his eyes, and high cheekbones and chiseled features had replaced the babyish roundness of his youth. An air nation necklace was around his neck and the one-shouldered tunic showed off his lean, yet muscular torso.

Korra blushed, prompting a giggle from the girl sitting next to her.

"What!" Korra protested, handing the picture back to Jinora. "Your grandfather was a good-looking guy."

"Yeah, Gran Gran said Daddy looked a lot like him when he was that age. A lot of girls wanted Daddy to go out with them, but he only loved Mom." Jinora put the picture back on the night table. "And Mom said Daddy was the only one for her. She said he was so handsome and then he grew the beard…"

She leaned in close to Korra. "… Mom hates the beard. But Daddy won't shave it off."

They both laughed. "Well, I think honoring your grandfather is sweet." Korra said as Jinora placed the picture back in its honored spot. "And a very grown-up thing to do."

The last comment earned Korra a bright smile from the girl. "You think so?"

The Avatar nodded. Jinora threw her arms around Korra's neck and hugged her.

"Thank you! Ikki and Meelo get frustrated with me because I don't play with them as much. And I do want to play with them, but lately I've just needed to spend more time with my grandfather. I never got to know him because he died before I was born, but I think I would have loved him and I hope he would have loved me."

"Oh Jinora, your grandfather would have loved you. I'm sure of it. I am his reincarnation after all and I think you are terrific."

The little airbender pulled away and looked down at her lap, smiling a small smile. "When I meditate, especially in here, I feel him with me. That's why I like to be in here. By myself. I bet you thunk that's weird, huh?"

Korra shook her head. "No. It's not weird. Your father told me that if I can learn to meditate, I might be able to contact past avatars. He said Aang could. Maybe you can show me how to be better at it?"

"You bet!"

Both of the girls turned their heads at the sound of a shriek and then rather maniacal laughter coming from outside and then smiled at each other.

"But right now…" Jinora said, racing to her door and flinging it open. "I think we need to play first or at least save Ikki from Meelo."

Korra stood up and followed her, smiling. And hoping that Avatar Aang was watching and he was proud.


End file.
